Deutsche Bahn: Punctuality in long-distance transport remains low in September
With a rate of 52.4 percent, the railway continues to miss its goals; General renovations lead to long-term restrictions.
Quick Look
- In September, only 52.4 percent of Deutsche Bahn's long-distance trains reached their destination on time.
- System malfunctions and poor track conditions put a strain on operations.
- The annual target of 60 percent punctuality is no longer achievable.
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Why It Matters
Deutsche Bahn is currently renovating dozens of busy routes with billions in federal funding in order to stabilize the network in the long term.
Railway boss Evelyn Palla had specified a punctuality target of at least 60 percent in long-distance transport for 2026. In September the track is significantly lower - and the target will remain unachieved for the year as a whole.
In September, almost every second Deutsche Bahn long-distance train was delayed. The punctuality rate in long-distance transport was only 52.4 percent last month, as Deutsche Bahn announced. That was the third worst monthly value in the current year. As in the previous month, according to the railway, a high number of system malfunctions led to numerous delays.
“The ICE trains between Berlin and Wolfsburg had to travel slower in many places due to the poor condition of the route,” it said. The corridor is part of the Hanover-Berlin route, which has been closed since Friday and is due to be extensively renovated. The work is scheduled to last until mid-December 2027. During this time, the trains will be rerouted via Braunschweig and Magdeburg and will take around 80 minutes longer between Berlin and Hanover.
A train is considered late if it is delayed by six minutes or more. Train cancellations are not taken into account. They are included in the so-called traveler punctuality. This indicates the proportion of travelers who arrived at their destination on time - i.e. no more than 14 minutes and 59 seconds late - within a certain period of time. At 58.6 percent, this value also remained at an extremely low level in September.
Railway boss Evelyn Palla had set a punctuality target of at least 60 percent in long-distance transport for the current year. It is already foreseeable that this goal will not be achieved. Palla always emphasizes that railway punctuality is a problem for which there are only long-term solutions. The federally owned company is currently renovating dozens of busy routes with billions in federal funding. The so-called general renovations will last well into the 1930s. In this way, the network should gradually become more stable again and travelers should travel more punctually.
Open Questions
- When will punctuality noticeably increase?
- What are the economic consequences of the delays?
